78 million for public option and 54 million opposed in Senate Finance Committee

So that’s not really how our representative system works, and you can only take the logic so far.

But it’s striking that the Democrats holding up a public option in the Senate Finance Committee[1] — Max Baucus of Montana, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas — are from states with a combined population of about 4.5 million. Heck, if North Dakota and Montana made up a single city it wouldn’t equal the population of Charlotte.

Democrats voting for a public option in the Senate Finance Committee represent states with a combined population of 78 million. Even if you add in the Republicans voting against a public option you only get 54 million — and that’s mostly Texas.